Sad News:Mae Louise Allen Mays, wife of Willie Mays, just dies at 74 after long battle with Alzheimer’s disease

Sad news to report from the San Francisco Giants family on Friday night as the team announced that Mae Louise Allen Mays, the wife Giants legend and baseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays, died after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was 74.

 

Mae and Willie were married in November of 1971, but their relationship actually dated back ten years earlier and their initial meeting actually has a pretty funny story attached to it. Chris Haft shared that story over at MLB.com.

 

It’s not surprising they hit if off so well once Mae realized she was being courted by the real Willie Mays. She, too, was a terrific athlete growing in the racially segregated Homewood section of Pittsburgh, PA, where she was recognized as an accomplished sprinter. She attended the University of Pittsburgh and earned a master’s degree in social work at Howard University. She would go on to do very successful work in child welfare and has been described as a “pioneer in getting single adoptions started in San Francisco.”

 

On Friday, Giants president Larry Baer released the following statement remembering Mae Louise Allen Mays.

 

 

It’s clear that Willie’s beloved Mae was an amazing woman who worked tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of others. Like her legendary husband, she excelled at her passion, and all those who knew her, worked with her, or were touched by her were better people for their association.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LEIPZIG, Germany (AP) — Former champions France and the Netherlands clash in their second match at the European Championship. France won seven of the teams’ last eight meetings including home and away victories in qualifying. This buildup has been overshadowed by speculation about whether France star Kylian Mbappé can play after breaking his nose in the opening win over Austria. Kickoff is at 9 p.m. local (1900 GMT) on Friday. Here’s what to know about the match:

 

Match facts

 

— Mbappé broke his nose when his face collided with Austria defender Kevin Danso’s shoulder on Monday. Blood stained his white France jersey. He’ll need to wear a mask if he plays.